Albert Rutsa (1537201) A never ending conflict in South Asia

Ranjan, Amit. “Conflicts in South Asia Will Go on and On: A Review Article.” South Asia Research 36.1 (2016): 115-26.

The Article deals with the conflicts that have been going on in South Asia, particularly in the Indian sub-continent. Ranjan in his article states that this conflict has its roots in the partition of India after the British left in 1947 and India was partitioned based on the religion of the region. He deliberates on the issue of partition and brings out why there is no positive outlook to the end of this conflict.

In the article Ranjan states that the partition in 1947 was the starting point of the conflict.

As the two parties did not agree on any power-sharing formula and the Muslim League was increasingly glued to the demand for Pakistan, partition became the only option . . . idea that British India was to be partitioned into two parts and the Princely States had the right to join either of the two.

Ranjan point’s how partition became the only viable solution and accordingly the British set up a Boundary Commission to demarcate boundary between the two new states. The new boundaries were so complex they started to created conflict among the new states.

This commission took demography, administrative unity and ‘other factors’ such as railway lines, water canals and telegraph lines into consideration but also made strange mistakes causing local pandemonium . . . the line demarcated was so complex that even after decades of separation India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are today enmeshed in local disputes over territory.

In this article Ranjan points out how the partition led to a series of events that further escalated the tension between the states. People were now divided along their religious lines and the minority in the respective new states faced discrimination which led to formation of groups to fight for independence. This in turn led to protest and frequent brush ups between ethnic as well as religious groups in the region. Apart from the major states created, many princely states were also forced to join either India or Pakistan and these little pockets continues to fight for independence and their movements have created an uneasy peace in the South Asian region.